NUC: Benue govt receives recognition for establishment of University of Agric

The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu presented the recognition letter in Abuja to the Governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Samuel Ode.

Speaking during the ceremony, Prof. Ribadu commended the state government’s commitment to expanding higher education opportunities for the citizens of Benue state, adding that the new University would boost youth empowerment and promote knowledge driven development in the state.

“I must commend your visionary leadership and your reverent dedication to the establishment and to the educational advancement of the people of Benue State.

“The establishment of the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science, and Technology in Benue State is another bold and strategic move that will undoubtedly empower the youths, develop the workforce, and promote knowledge-driven development in this state.

“As we celebrate this achievement, I ask all stakeholders, government officials, university administrators, faculty members, and students to work collaboratively to ensure that the institution thrives and upholds the highest standards of academic integrity, research excellence, and good governance.

“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this university does not only add the number of institutions in the country, but stands out as a beacon of learning, character development, and societal transformation.

“The National Universities Commission will continue to provide the necessary guidance and support to ensure that the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science, and Technology attains its full potential.

“With the enthusiasm shown by the Benue State Government, we believe that this university will be one of our best universities, especially in agriculture, science, and technology. So we will combine agriculture, science, and technology so we can use technology to develop our country.” he stated

The NUC boss charged the state government to ensure the new university adhered strictly to the guidelines set forth for quality assurance, curriculum development, and overall management of academic programmes.

The Benue State Governor, presented the academic briefs, physical master plan, and university law to the NUC.

He assured that the state will pursue the mandate of the new university with all the zeal that it required.

The Governor also said that the state will soon put in place the necessary amenities and the platforms that would enable the university to get to the level of academic completion.

“Today, agricultural production cannot be done without science, technology, and innovation. The purpose for this university is to streamline the course profile and have a university that will respond directly to the challenges of agricultural production.

“The University of Agriculture, which is now the Joseph Tarka University of Agriculture, is a federal government-owned institution and so, as a state government, we don’t necessarily have control over the academic programmes.

“But I will tell you that, for a state that has a population of over 7.5 million, with this movement, as I speak to you, we have students who desire to take a place in our universities, and they still cannot get admission. We don’t want that to continue to happen. So, this is the need for this particular university which we have created. It is going to respond directly to the needs of our people.

“Benue State University is one of the oldest state universities in this country today. They are doing very well, but we don’t want to begin to overload that university with more courses within the scope of what they are already doing. And that is why we have isolated this as a distinct academic institution that will propel agricultural production in Benue State.” he stated

Revealing that the new university has already taken off, he said that the letter of recognition just received will be followed by an inspection team from NUC to assess the level of preparation.

He said the first admission intakes will be taken for this academic session.

Asked if the government has the resources to fund the university to achieve the expectations, he said “Governance is about responsibility, and this is a new government that has come into place, and this government is cautious of the fact that we need to fund education, and that is why we in our appropriation, even for 2025 we’ve done robust budgetary provision for the running of our academic institutions”.

Spark News Daily reports that the Benue State University of Agriculture, which is located at Ihugh, Vandeikya Local Government Area of the state, brings the number of state owned universities in Nigeria to 68, while the total number of universities in the country stands at 299.